Friday, March 26, 2010

I was at the book store today in an attempt to quench my thirst for paranormal romance when I realized (quite suddenly actually) that I have a method for reviewing and then selecting books. What was weird was that I had not been aware of my method before today…I just did it…Every. Single. Time.

So here’s my method (for books that are faced, at least): The cover draws me in; it’s usually something dark, sexy, and gothic looking. Once I pick it up, I quickly read the back cover blurb, and if that has me interested, I then read the first paragraph. If the writing seems competent and interesting I buy it. That’s it…simple.

Big bookstores are a little daunting. I go to the romance section and look at the hundreds, thousands of books, most of which are not faced and wonder which will be a good selection and which will be a dud. Over the past year or so I’ve discovered quite a few new authors by recommendation, but things have been slow over the past little while and my friends can’t seem to keep up with my appetite for romance so I’ve been left to discover new authors on my own. When I’m looking at the endless line of book spines, it’s often just by fluke that I pull one out, do my thing and discover something I think I’ll enjoy. In those cases it’s the author’s name that draws me in. If it’s catchy, or flows well, I’ll take a look. Kresley Cole is a good example of an author whose name is catchy. I liked it when I saw it, pulled her book out and discovered a whole new world of paranormal that I fell in love with. Now I can’t get enough of her stuff.

So today there I was, staring at this impossibly long aisle of choices, new possibilities staring back at me and I realized how vitally important it is for authors to have their books faced. If people can see the cover (and the cover is an eye catching one) then they’ll pick up your book. If they pick up your book, then they may not put it back down. It certainly works that way for me. Otherwise, it’s luck…will your name catch my interest? Will the color of your book spine draw me in?

So what about you all? What makes you pick up a book and read it? Do you purely go on recommendations or do you select based on some other criteria? Do you shop online or must you visit the bricks and mortar establishments? How do you discover new authors? What makes you want to buy? How important is an author’s name? What about the cover…important to you or not?

Friday, March 19, 2010

I have a bunch of balls in the air right now and not a lot to report at the moment...I'm hoping that very soon I will have some announcements to make...right now though I'm too anxious to come up with a clever or interesting post. How sad it that?

I hate how stress, even if it's the good kind of stress...the excited kind of stress causes the same physical discomforts as regular, old, crappy, bad kind of stress. I feel my stress in my stomach the most, which leads to a general feeling like I'm going to vomit...vomit with excitement, vomit with worry...whatever, it just makes me feel bad...even if the stress is a result of many possible good things, it still makes me feel sick. I'll tell you all a very funny story soon that involves my dealing with stress and one of the best/worst experiences of my life!

In any case, I have a lot happening but not happening right now...so I'm stressed and I'm waiting.

How do you all deal with your stress? Can you brush it off? Forget about it? Or does it eat at you until you feel it?

Friday, March 12, 2010

I haven't had much time to watch movies lately...been working hard at a few things. The t.v. is staying off for now, but I was thinking about the many films I watch that are based on books that I love. So I thought it would be fun to rank my five favourite novel to film adaptations.

#5 - Harry Potter numbers one through...what movie are we on now? - Okay, so I'm a sucker for Harry and his pals. Ever since the first movie released to theaters, I’ve been hooked. I love the story, love the characters and the actors who play them. I think that a school of witches is super cool!

#4 - The Talented Mr. Ripley - I loved this novel, loved cheering for Tom, even if his is a psychopath. As for the movie, I thought that the cast did the characters justice and brought to life the eerie feel of the novel perfectly.

#3 - Blood and Chocolate- Okay, so I know that this version is not really that closely related to the novel on which it is based, but I do enjoy watching it now and again. The book, I have to admit, is better but as a stand-alone the movie is good too. And come on…it’s about werewolves, people, werewolves!

#2 - Pride and Prejudice (both the A&E version with yummy Colin Firth and the newer version with Keira Knightley) Both movie adaptations are favourites of mine for different reasons. Colin Firth, of course, is the main reason for trudging through the six hour A&E version. As well, I found this version really captures the humour of Austen's novel. The newer version, although I vowed to hate it when it came out, is one that I can watch again and again (and not just because it is considerably shorter than the other). It really plays up the love story between Mr.Darcy and Elizabeth well and the cinematography is quite good.

#1 – Interview with a Vampire- Now I know that the movie is different from the novel but even still, it is one of my favourites of all time. From the actors (which I know delightfully surprised many people at the time the movie was released) to the costumes and setting, the movie brings to life a lot of the things I love about Anne Rice’s vampire world.

Although nothing can truly replace reading the book and sometimes the novel is much, much better than the movie, when I need a quick fix of a few beloved characters I turn to these films to satisfy myself.

What about you all? Do you have a top five list for favourite novels to films?

Friday, March 5, 2010

For the past six months I have been regretting a decision. It was a decision that I felt a lot of pressure to make and I made it without being fully informed..always a bad idea, especially when it’s a big decision.

In any case, after talking with someone in the know, someone whose opinion I respect, someone who said to me, “Well, if it were me, I would do it.” I decided to seize the day and try to change my fate…will it work out? Only time will tell…but I can say for sure that at least I tried and I feel better about things now instead of worrying and wondering about what could have been.

So now I wait and see. (And vow to sell my soul if that will help.)

What about you all, have you ever seized the day? Gone for it, even if it was something so crazy or so far out of your reach that it would take a miracle to happen?